FACEing the world
by Sanctuary Dreamer
Summary: To bring children into the world is such a rewarding experience. And to watch them grow up and succeed, makes for such a wonderful experience. Follow the journey with new parents Francis and Arthur as they experience parenthood together, raising two little countries. Series of FACE family one-shots. Mentions of past Mpreg.
1. Birth

Arthur smiled at his sleeping lover and gently stroked his hair. Francis had had a rather rough night and needed all the sleep he could get at the moment. The bedroom was quiet, save for the soft breathing of Francis. But another sound soon brought Arthur back to reality. He planted a kiss to Francis's cheek and slid from the bed and to his feet. After straightening out his pajamas, he went around the bed and to the small bassinet on Francis's side of the bed. And inside this bassinet, were two pink faced newborn baby boys.

Francis and Arthur had started their relationship together about ten or so years ago. There was plenty of controversy and doubt that the relationship would work. Especially after the wars and hardships they had experienced. Arthur had trouble letting others into his heart, and Francis could never forget his previous lover, the Joan of Arc, who had been killed by Arthur's men. But they wanted to move past all of this and start anew together. And they were able to make it work. The two elder men, after having been married for about a year, had talked about starting a family together. And God seemed to listen to their prayers for a happy family. Because about two months after first trying to conceive, Francis became pregnant with twins.

In the beginning, the symptoms defiantly tested their patience. Arthur had read that the first trimester was the hardest. Well that was defiantly the case for Francis. Morning sickness, headaches, a sensitive sense of smell, fatigue, mood swings, the whole kit and caboodle. Francis had taken his anger out on Arthur more then once due to his frustration and unhappiness. He had turned into a rather unpleasant person during that time, and his decreased intake of food and moodiness had defiantly made his irritability worse. Bur after the tenth week, things defiantly settled down, and Francis was much more comfortable and content.

The rest of the pregnancy went on without a hitch, and on a hot summer night, Francis delivered Alfred and Matthew in the comfort of his own bed. The delivery had taken hours upon hours and defiantly wore him out. But it was all worth it once they had heard that first healthy cry, which was followed by the second baby's cry a few moments later. And after giving the two children plenty of love and helping them settle to sleep, Francis had been out like a light and slept like a rock for the first time in months.

Arthur reached in and pulled the two bundled up baby boys from the bassinet. The elder twin, the one they had named Alfred, was cooing softly and reaching up for Arthur. The younger one, who had been named Matthew, had his fists up to his chest and was fussing. Arthur chuckled and leaned forward a bit so Alfred's hands could brush against his cheek. He kissed the tiny hand that was upon his cheek, making Alfred coo a bit in response. Then he planted a kiss to Matthew's forehead. "Hey now. What's the matter poppet?" But of course, Matthew didn't answer his father, instead choosing to fuss once more. "Do you want to see your other father?" He asked, rocking him gently. He looked back to the bed. Francis was beginning to stir a bit. He would likely want to see the twins now. Arthur approached the bed and stood next to Francis's side. A moment later, Francis's blue eyes opened, looking up at Arthur.

"Arthur.." He yawned. It was still a bit new to Arthur, seeing Francis without his baby's belly. He was back to his old, thinner self once again.

"How are you feeling love?" Arthur asked, leaning down to plant a kiss to his forehead.

"Well better then last night." Francis chuckled. He sat up, leaning against the headboard. He held out his arms. "Let me see my handsome little boys." He requested. Arthur nodded and kneeled by the side of the bed. He placed a baby in each of Francis's arms, and used his own arms to held him hold them up. Francis examined each babies face with a smile.

"Allo mon petites." Francis cooed. "Papa is so happy to meet you two. Oh you are so beautiful." He leaned over and kissed each of their little foreheads. Alfred let out a happy noise, while Matthew squirmed, not liking the feeling of papa's beard. He soon began crying aloud, his tiny fists balled. "Oh, papa is sorry little one. Please don't cry." He shushed as he bounced the sobbing child. Arthur took Alfred into his own arms as Francis comforted Matthew. "There there petite. It's okay."

As Francis comforted Matthew, Arthur examined the baby in his own arms. His hair was a darker blond like Arthur's. But his eyes were a bright blue, just like Francis's. And based on those chippy sounds he was making, he had Francis's spirit as well. Whilst the younger twin had a lighter shade of blonde hair and violet eyes. He resembled Francis quite a bit. Arthur sat down on the edge of the bed, cradling the baby in his arms as Matthew's cries died down and became mear hiccups.

"We've done it Francis." Arthur said with a happy sigh. "We've finally made a family of our own. One made from our love." Francis smiled softly back at his lover.

"There is no one I'd rather have a family with then you." He returned. Arthur leaned over and planted a kiss on Francis's forehead tenderly.

"Ah!" Alfred cried out, surprising the two new parents.

"Ah, but of course. We haven't forgotten about you pet." Arthur chucked as he kissed Alfred as well, and then Matthew.

"I'm so happy Arthur." Francis said softly. "A new family..it's going to bring about some new challenges. You realize this right?"

"I do." Arthur returned. "But..as long as your by my side..I feel like I could take on the world." When Francis smiled, Arthur blushed a turned his head. "W-What I mean to say is that-!" Francis shushed him before he could say anymore.

"I do too Arthur. I have something very important to protect. Three important things I mean. I promise I'll do my best to be the father that these boys deserve." Francis promised.

"Yes. And..and I will too."

 **Any FACE Family chapter requests? We can jump around the time line as much as you would like to do don't hesitate to ask for anything!**


	2. Crawling

**Aaah three reviews already?! Thank you so much! This chapter is a request from Blackbutlerfan13. Any requests? Feel free to send them in! And thanks a lot for reading!**

It was a calm evening in March, and the twins were eight months old. As Arthur sat at the table, looking over some notes from the last meeting, Francis was in the living room with the babies. Francis was on his knees, a few feet away from them. He had his hands out in front of him, reaching out for his sons, who were in their pajamas and lying on their stomachs. "Come on petites~ Come to papa. I know you can do it!" He encouraged. He was trying to get the boys to crawl now, as Arthur had said that they should be able to begin crawling somewhere between six and ten months of age. So the two of them often took turns trying to encourage them to move. But so far, they had no luck. The twins were both able to grasp things and seemingly observe them. And they had even demonstrated that they had the ability to pull themselves onto their hands and knees. But no progress had been made since then.

The two of them stared at Francis, and Matthew reached out for him, but they did not move an inch. Alfred quickly lost interest in his papa's efforts and pushed himself onto his bottom. He grabbed the stuffed rabbit that Arthur had given him and began chewing on it as Matthew watched. Francis sighed, a bit discouraged. Oh well. They didn't really have to be crawling just yet anyhow. If they didn't start crawling before their first birthday, then he'd take them to a pediatrician. But until then, he'd just go with it.

"Any luck?" Francis looked up to see Arthur standing in the doorway of the living room.

"No, not yet." Francis answered. "But I'm sure that they'll be crawling soon enough. Perhaps they just need a bit more encouragement."

Arthur frowned as he approached his sons and knelt down. "I don't know Francis. Shouldn't they be crawling by now? I mean, if they can get onto their hands and knees without a problem, then shouldn't they be crawling without issue by this point as well?" He asked as he pulled the rabbit from Alfred's mouth, causing him to whine.

"Perhaps. But we should not rush them." Francis answered, getting to his feet now and taking the rabbit from Arthur. "They will crawl when they are ready. We just have to give them time." He planted a kiss on Arthur's cheek. "So stop your worrying _lapin._ It is fine."

Arthur frowned. "Still. I think I'm going to schedule an appointment with their pediatrician, just in case." He said, turning and going into the kitchen to get onto the house phone. Francis sighed and shook his head.

"Such a worrywart he is." He sighed. He got down once more and turned towards he twins. When he did, his eyes widened. Alfred had pulled himself onto his hands and knees. And he was staring intently at the rabbit in Francis's hands. Francis looked from the rabbit, to Alfred before holding it up so he could see it better. "Ah! Do you want it little one? Then you must come and get it!" Alfred had a look of determination on his face. He wanted that rabbit back..

And with bated breath, Francis watched as Alfred put one hand foreward, and then the next, and then followed up with his knees. And then he continued doing this. He..he was crawling! Matthew cried out, not wanting to be left behind by his brother. He too got onto his hands and knees, and a moment later was following Alfred. They were doing it! They were really doing it!

 _"Mon deiu!"_ Francis cried, startling the two by accident. "Arthur! Come in here, quickly!" Francis called. When he did, the two boys became still, not moving another inch. And as they held their positions, Arthur came rushing into the room.

"What?! What is it? What happened?" Arthur said quickly, looking from the twins to Francis.

"They were crawling Arthur! Look at them, they were crawling!" Francis said as he pointed at the twins. But they didn't move an inch. Just stared at their fathers. Arthur raised an eyebrow, not sure if Francis was pulling his leg or not. "They were! They really were! You've missed it!" Francis insisted. "I don't know why they suddenly stopped though.."

He picked up the rabbit he had dropped and tried to coax them once more. "Come on little ones! Come over to papa!" But they did not move one bit.

"Francis, perhaps you were just imagining it." Arthur sighed. "They aren't moving." But in his head, Arthur couldn't help but think. 'Dear god did they really? Have a missed their first time crawling?! Ooh I really hope he is just teasing me. I didn't want to miss this for the world!'

Francis continued in his efforts to get them to crawl for Arthur. But they didn't budge. It wasn't that they didn't want too. They were both just too amused and distracted watching papa act so silly. At some point, Francis tried to lead by demonstration, getting down on his hands and knees and crawling along the carpet. Arthur had to muffle his chuckle with a cough as Alfred giggled at his papas antics. Matthew turned to look at Alfred and reached over to pat his shoulder to get his brothers attention. When Alfred turned to look at him, he began to babble, speaking to his brother in a way only the two of them could understand.

 _"What's wrong with him?"_ Matthew asked. " _Do all adults act like this?"_

 _"I don't know.."_ Alfred answered as he watched Francis crawl. _"But it's pretty funny to watch don'tcha think?"_

 _"Mmm. I guess."_ And the two of them amused themselves, watching Francis try to convince Arthur that he wasn't lying to him.

Francis huffed and stood up. "I wasn't lying..." he insisted. He turned and left there living room to get some water, leaving Arthur with the twins. Arthur scratched his head, a bit confused. He heard babbling and turned to look at them. And just as Francis said, the two little ones were crawling towards him. Arthur's eyes widened a bit and he chuckled. Once they reached his feet, he kneeled down and picked them up.

"You cheeky things." He scolded softly as he kissed their foreheads. "Did you do hat on purpose?" Of course he got no valid response. "Well I'll be honest, I did enjoy seeing your papa crawl about like that. Looked like a bloody fool he did." He smiled and kissed their foreheads. "Good boys~"


	3. Tragedy in the barber's chair

**Thank you very much for the request BlackButlerfan13. I hope you don't mind that I changed up some things just a bit. Thanks for reading and requesting!**

The evening had arrived in the Kirkland-Bonnefoy household. The three-month-old twins had been put into their crib to sleep, and their fathers stood over the crib, watching over them. The past three months with their new babies had defiantly been an interesting experience. They had no sleeping schedule and awoke during the night for feedings. They seemed to always cry whenever they were separated from each other. And they had learned several new skills over the past three months. Alfred was able to lift up his head on his own now, and both boys could recognize their fathers by now, often making little squealing noises when the fathers entered the room.

Thanks to a healthy diet and exercise, Francis had managed to lose most of the baby weight from the pregnancy. He still had a bit of a muffin top, and was a little insecure about it, but other than that, he looked the same again.

As Francis cooed over Matthew's little button nose and Alfred's long eyelashes, Arthur was looking at something else. "Francis." He began, getting his husband's attention. "Don't you think their hair has become a tad..long?" He asked. When the twins were born, Francis often bragged to others about how they had been born with full heads of hair. While Arthur did point out that it wasn't exactly uncommon, it was still a rather big bragging right in Francis's mind. So Arthur didn't spoil his fun in this regard. But since they were three months of age, that meant their hair had grown rather long and their bangs were becoming a bit unsightly. "Perhaps it's time for the two of them to get a haircut."

Francis immediately seemed to recoil at the word. "A haircut? Absolutely not!" He said. "I do not want some barber touching the beautiful golden locks on their delicate little heads!" He insisted, folding his arms stubbornly. Arthur shook his head as his husband's childishness.

"Francis it's a haircut, not brain surgery." He scolded. "They can't go growing their hair like this for much longer. They will start to look shaggy. We need to get it cut." When Francis looked hesitant, Arthur kissed his cheek. "Oh come now, your starting to worry too much. It's just a haircut love." He assured him. "And besides, we can call Yao to cut their hair if you don't want to call upon a children's barber. He tells me he cuts Kiku's hair all the time. It will be fine." Kiku was Yao's younger brother of only 4. Yao had discovered the very young child alone in the bamboo fields years ago and had taken him in to raise him.

Francis pursed his lips in thought before sighing. "Alright Arthur, I am going to trust you on this. But if anything goes wrong.." he warned, his eyes narrowing a bit. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Darling you're overreacting. Remember, it's only a haircut. Everything is going to be just fine."

THE FOLLOWING MORNING

Arthur now sat on the couch with the twins in his arms as he watched Francis slip on his shoes. He had suddenly been called into a quick meeting with Ludwig and had to leave. So that, unfortunately, meant missing the twins haircut. Once his shoes were on his feet, he turned to Arthur. The worry was clearly evident on his face. "Arthur you promise to keep a close eye on them?" He said.

"Of course poppet. I promised you I would several times already." Arthur reminded him. Francis still seemed a tad unsure. "Everything is going to be just fine. Now you just go off to work and I'll keep an eye on Yao and the children." He insisted.

"But-"

"Oh go on now. You're going to be late for work you know?" Arthur said as he shooed him out the door. Francis sighed, kissed his lover and their children one last time, before walking out the door and to their shared vehicle. Arthur stood on the porch and watched as Francis drove away. Then he turned to the twins. "We'll show him, won't we? Everything is going to be just fine. Yao is going to come and give you two a nice haircut. And then papa will come home and he'll just adore what's been done with you two~" he chuckled as he kissed the top of their heads.

He had called Yao the other night to see if he would be able to come over today to give the boys a trim. And Yao had agreed to come if Arthur didn't mind that he brought Kiku along. The child hated being left with a babysitter and usually insisted on going with Yao whenever he had to go out. Arthur hadn't minded in the slightest. Kiku was a fairly well behaved little boy and was a pleasure to have about. But he was rather shy and didn't speak too often.

As the three of them awaited Yao's arrival, Arthur took the time to make sure that the twins were fed, changed, and in a good mood so that they wouldn't cause any trouble during the haircut. And at around eleven in the morning, Arthur was alerted by a knock at the front door. He set the twins into their little infant swings before going to answer the door. Yao stood on the doorstep, with a bag under his arm, and Kiku gripping onto Yao's pant legs.

" _Ni Hao."_ Yao greeted as he stepped inside. "It very nice to see you, Arthur. Been a long time~"

"Yes, it most certainly has." Arthur chuckled. He and Yao had a rather good friendship. The feud and hard feelings from the Opium war had been forgotten and the two of them had rekindled their friendship with one another. He tilted his head to see Kiku, gripping onto Yao's pant leg and hiding a bit. Arthur kneeled down to be eye level and smiled softly. "Hello, there fellow." He greeted softly. "My you've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you haven't you?" Kiku didn't answer, instead choosing to hide his face and let out a small whine.

"I'm sorry. He is very shy." Yao apologized as he tried to encourage Kiku to greet him back.

"Don't worry about it. I can understand the poor thing being a little shy." He chuckled. He went over to the swings and pulled out the twins, who cooed and reached for him. "Alright so are you ready for them?" He asked. Both boys were wearing a white gown with a tiny red bow on the collars. Yao smiled and stepped forward, taking the twins into his arms. Alfred and Matthew seemed rather eager to see this new face as well.

"So." Arthur began as he approached the twins. "What I need you to do is-" He was interrupted by the sound of the house phone going off. "Goodness, one moment please?" He requested before hurrying to answer the phone. As he waited, Yao sat on the couch with Alfred and Matthew, bouncing them on his lap. A moment later, Arthur poked his head into the living room. "Yao, I'm sorry. I've gotten an important phone call and I need to take care of it. Do you mind?"

"Of course not. But what do you want me to do with their hair?"

"Oh whatever you think is best," Arthur answered, needing to get back to the phone.

"Ah, I see. Alright then." Yao nodded as Arthur went back to the phone. Whatever he thought was best eh? He brought the twins to their high chairs and sat them down. Then he set his bag down at the table and opened it up as Kiku sat down at the table and watched. He pulled out the scissors, looked at her for a moment, and then placed them back into the bag. Then he pulled out the razor.

In China, it was an ancient tradition to shave a babies hair once they reached three months of age. It is believed that shaving a babies hair whilst still young, would allow it to grow back stronger and healthier. Yao plugged the razor into the wall and switched it on. "Alright, you two. Now hold still. Arthur is going to be so surprised."

THEN

Arthur set the phone back on the receiver with a satisfied sigh. He had received a call from the queen that he had to answer and had finally finished it after about an hour. He stepped out of the hall and to the kitchen. There, Yao was sweeping up the hair on the ground, and the twins were not there. When Yao noticed him there, he smiled. "The haircuts are all finished." He informed Arthur. "The children became fussy so I put them in their cribs to nap. Is that okay?" He asked.

"That's fine. Thank you, Yao." Arthur said with a smile. "I'm very sorry that I could not be there to see it."He scanned the ground for a moment, his eyebrow raised. "That's..quite a bit of hair you have there." He pointed out, a bit concerned.

"Yes well, the twins have quite a bit of hair for three-month-olds," Yao answered back. He finished getting the hair from the ground and took Kiku's hand. "Have a good afternoon Arthur." He said as he walked out the door. As soon as he was out of sight, Arthur hurried to the nursery. As Yao had said, the twins were asleep in the crib, but now they both had a white cap on their heads. Oh dear. He didn't see their hair poking out from under their caps. He didn't. He couldn't have! Could he?

He reached in and removed the cap from one of their heads and his eyes went wide. "B-bloody hell.." he murmured. Sure enough, Yao had shaved the twins completely bald. He couldn't tell the two of them apart! "Oh, for the love of...I'm going to kill that bastard.." And only a moment after he said that, he became very white. "God save the queen! Not if Francis kills me first!" Arthur knew that he had to figure something out before Francis came home from work, otherwise he would be skinned alive!

First things first, he had to figure out who was who! They didn't have any defining features other than their hair in order to tell them apart from one another. What was he supposed to do?!

 _Click._ What was that? Surely it could not be Francis? He had left only three or so hours ago!

"Arthur! I am home _cherie_ ~"

Bloody hell.

He could hear Francis coming up the stairs, humming softly to himself. "Arthur? Are you up there?" He called. "Is the haircut all finished?"

"Um..yes.." Arthur called back hesitantly.

"Oh good!" A moment later, the nursery door opened just as Arthur pushed the white cap back onto Alfred and Matthew's heads. Francis came up to Arthur and planted a kiss on his forehead before moving to the crib where the boys lie sleeping. "Ah, _bonjour petites_ ~" Francis cooed. "Papa missed you two so much." But when he reached in the get them, Arthur suddenly took his shoulders.

"M-maybe it would be best not to bother them right now. They only just fell asleep darling." Arthur laughed nervously. But just as he said that one of them began to kick up a fuss. Arthur tried to pick him up, but Francis was quicker to lift up the fussy child.

"Papa has missed you darling one~ Was Yao good to you?" He asked. "I can't wait to see how it looks."

And Arthur held his breath as Francis, with a smile on his face, pulled off the cap. The room was very quiet after that, neither man moving an inch as they stared at the bald headed child. The hat slipped from Francis's hand and fell to the floor, but he still didn't move. After a few more moments of silence, Francis turned to look at Arthur. His smile had faded just a bit, but it was still present. His eyes were half-lidded, and he greatly reminded Arthur of a rattlesnake before they grabbed up a victim, and when he spoke, his words seemed to drip with venom.

"Arthur," He said calmly. "Where is my darling son's hair?"

"Well you see..haha, it really is a funny story. What happened was.."

Arthur explained the story as calmly and as rationally as he could. But that evening, he found himself lying on the couch as his make-shift bed. Francis had refused to let him back into the bedroom after giving him the cold shoulder for quite awhile. Arthur couldn't help but feel rather guilty. He didn't MEAN to let this happen. But then again, perhaps this was why Francis had been so hesitant to let the twins have a hair cut. He wow worried that something like this would happen! Arthur sighed. But the bloody fit didn't have to just leave him here. It was dreadfully cold..

'Perhaps if I just talk to him..' Arthur told himself. Francis had to come to reason. Arthur had never meant for this to happen, he really hadn't. He stood from the couch and made his way up the stairs. Hm. Francis wasn't in the bedroom it seemed..He checked the nursery next. And just as he had suspected, Francis was sitting in the rocking chair, bottle feeding one of the twins. Arthur stepped in but was not acknowledged by Francis. "Francis.." He said. But he was ignored. "Francis I'm so sorry that this happened. Please don't be cross with me."

Francis didn't say anything for a moment. He looked up at Arthur and sighed. "I am not mad about what happened. I am just upset that you tried to hide it from me." He admitted. "We are a couple Arthur. We have to do these things together. If you had just told me what had happened, then I wouldn't have been so upset."

Arthur was a bit surprised, but he smiled. "You're right, I am sorry Francis. I won't hide such things from you anymore. I promise." Francis smiled and stood up now, setting the bottle to the side.

"Thank you Arthur. I appreciate that very much." Francis said softly as he kissed Arthur's cheek. "Alright, I forgive you then. Just please ask me for help next time so we can come up with a solution together, okay?

"Of course, I promise."

 **Any more requests friends? Send them right in!**


	4. Grown-up problems

The twins sat quietly in their beds as they listened to what was happening in the living room. They couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but they could hear their father's yelling back and forth at one another. They had gotten into a fight the other day when Arthur had gotten home from work and it seemed that another one had broken out today as well. They weren't exactly sure what had caused them to start fighting, but whatever it was, was definitely not good. They had been going at it ever since the two of them had sent their six year old twins to bed, which had been about twenty minutes ago. And they still hadn't stopped fighting, which concerned the both of them.

"What do you think their fighting about?" Matthew asked as he squeezed his stuffed bear Kumajiro to his chest.

"I dunno. But whatever it is has to be pretty bad." Alfred said back. "Hold on.." He got out of his bed, even though he had always been told to stay in bed after lights out. He went over to the vent that rested near the door and put his ear up to it.

"What're you doing?" Matthew whispered.

"Ssh. I'm trying to hear them." Alfred said back. He knew there was a vent in the living room as well, and since the air conditioning was off, perhaps he could hear them. He managed to make out what they were saying and whispered to Matthew what he heard from the vent.

 _You always do this! You try to be the victim, when I haven't done anything wrong!_

 _Haven't done anything wrong? I want to spend time with you and the boys. But you never let me or anyone else help you and take the work off of your shoulders._

 _Oh, so you're going to scold me for working? I'm the one who makes the income in this family! You have no right to be cross with me for something like that!_

 _Arthur you came home late yesterday and today, and were too tired to play with the boys. How do you think that makes them feel?_

 _Well excuse me for doing my part in this family, unlike some people!_

 _Excuse me?!_

Alfred didn't get to hear anything more after that, as the air conditioner kicked in and blew a soft gust of air into his face. The whir of the conditioner muffled the rest of the conversation, so he was forced to get up and go back to his bed. "Their really mad at each other.." Matthew said quietly, concern etching his features.

"I guess so." Alfred responded. "They got into a fight yesterday too remember? Right at the dinner table. It was over kinda fast though. But not this fight I guess." He sighed. "Why don't they just make up?" He asked.

"I don't think it's that easy." Matthew said. He was the more reasonable twin, and he knew that adult arguments weren't always so easy to resolve.

"What do you mean?" Alfred said. "You and me fight all the time. But we still get over it. We don't fight forever."

"But Alfred..."

"I know! Whenever you and me fight, Papa and Dad come and stop us. They make us stop fighting and help us make up. So maybe we just have to help them stop fighting." Alfred suggested with a smile. Alfred the optimistic twin. He didn't like it when people fought or cry. So he was always quick to stop an argument or dry his brothers tears.

"We can't do that." Matthew said. "We fight about kid problems. But they're fighting about grown-up problems. We don't know how to fix grown-up problems." He could hear Alfred huff but then he didn't say anything more for a moment.

"So..you think they'll be able to fix it by themselves then? Because they're grown-ups?" Alfred asked.

"I dunno." Matthew sighed. "But..if it's a really big argument then they might break up."

"What? What do you mean break up?" Alfred asked.

"Well you know how Feliciano from our class only has a papa?" Matthew reminded him, Alfred's eyes getting wider and wider with every word. "That's because his mama and papa fought too much. So his mama left his papa. So he only has his papa. If our dads keep on fighting, then they might-"

"No they won't!" Alfred interrupted, standing up on his bed. "Papa and dad love each other! They wouldn't leave each other just because of a fight!"

"But they might. Feli didn't think his parents would break up either. But they did."

"You're lying!" Alfred accused. "You're being a liar!"

"Why would I lie about that? I think they might break up. Because they fight too much."

"Well you and me fight! But I'm not gonna stop being your brother!" Alfred yelled. He didn't hear that the argument downstairs has lulled at the sound of Alfred's shouting. "They just need to make up right?"

"You're wrong!" Matthew countered, also starting to get worked up. "If they break up, they might be happier. Because then they wouldn't fight anymore. And they would be happy again. So maybe it's better that they do break up." Alfred was fuming. How could he say something like that? Alfred hopped off of his bed, his pillow clutched in his hands. He didn't hear the sound of someone coming up the straits or down the hall. He stormed up to Matthew's bed. "Stop it! Go away Alfred!" Matthew yelled at him. But Alfred played no mind.

As the door to their bedroom opened, Alfred swung the pillow like one would swing a bat, and slammed it into his brother, hitting him with it as hard as he could and knocking him off of the bed.

" _Alfred F Jones!_ Just what do you think you are doing!" Alfred heard, just as his brother burst into tears. He froze and slowly turned his head. Arthur stood in the doorway. And he was not happy. Alfred turned all the way around to face his father as he hid the pillow behind his back.

"N-nothing dad." Alfred lied as he swayed on his feet.

"That didn't look like nothing young man. Why did you hit your brother like that?" As he waited for an answer, Francis entered the room.

"What has happened? Why is Matthew crying?" He asked. "Matthew? Come here _petite."_ Francis said as he got down on his knee and held out his arms. Matthew jumped to his feet and ran into Francis's arms, dropping Kumajiro onto the ground as he did. Alfred watched with a sullen pout.

"You never answered my question. Why did you hit him?" Arthur asked as he tapped his foot. Alfred debated whether or not to answer for a moment. But tears formed in his blue eyes and he spoke.

"Matthew's lying!" Alfred said as he stomped his foot.

"No I'm n-not!" Matthew hiccups from Francis's shoulder. Francis shushed him, needing to hear what Alfred had to say.

"He said that you two were going to break up! Because you two fight too much! But that's not true! You guys wouldn't b-break up because your fighting right? Because you love each other right?" Alfred asked as tears ran down his face and his shoulders shook. "B-b-because you need to stay together. Because I don't wanna loose my papa or my daddy!" He cried as he burst into tears, surprising both parents, and making Matthew cry harder. Francis and Arthur exchanged a similar look of astonishment.

Arthur knelt down in front of his crying son and gently began to wipe the tears from Alfred's cheeks. "Of course we aren't going to break up chap." Arthur assured him. "We do fight sometimes, but we do still love each other. With all our hearts." Alfred's eyes turned to the floor. It was obvious that he didn't believe him. "Think about it like this. You and me sometimes get into fights don't we?" He asked. Alfred nodded. "Well you still love me right?"

"Of course I do.." Alfred sniffed.

"And I still love you. You see? Just because we don't always agree or get along, that doesn't mean that I love you any less. I still love your papa, even though we may fight sometimes. It won't ever make any difference. Do you understand?" Alfred nodded as he rubbed at his eyes. "Good boy. Now come here." He encouraged as he held out his arms. Alfred quickly ran into them and began crying into Arthur's shoulder.

"Ssh it's okay little one. Everything is going to be okay." Arthur assured him, rubbing the small boy's back. "I'm sorry for fighting and yelling. It must have scared you two so much." Alfred nodded.

"Well we cannot promise that we will always get along." Francis continued. "But I can promise that will try our best. Okay? Can you two forgive us?" He asked.

"I forgive you papa.." Matthew said softly, pulling his face out of his shoulder to look at Francis. "And you too daddy."

"Me too." Alfred said with a nod.

"Thank you so much boys." Arthur chuckled. He looked to Alfred and said, "But I think you have someone you need to apologize to as well." Alfred nodded and removed himself from Arthur's hold. He went over to Matthew who was also standing on the ground again.

"I'm sorry for hitting you Matthew." He said as he embraced his brother. "I was really mad and I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay." Matthew said as he hugged him back. "I forgive you."

"That was very nice of you two." Arthur chuckled. "Now back to bed the both of you." He said, which got him a groan from Alfred.

"You guys won't fight anymore tonight right?" Matthew asked.

"Yea! You guys have to say sorry too first!" Alfred insisted. The two parents looked at each other, a bit amused. They stood up straight and faced each other, biting back smiles.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Arthur." Francis chuckled, pulling Arthur into a hug and kissing his lips.

"I forgive you." Arthur responded. The twins began clapping, more then relieved that their parents had made up. "Alright then. Back to bed the both of you." Arthur instructed.

"Yes dad!" The twins chimed, hurrying back to their beds. Francis and Arthur tucked them in, kissed them good-night, and left the room. It was silent after that for a few moments.

"Psst. Matthew."

"Hm?"

"I told you we could fix it.."

 **Requests?**


	5. Have you seen this bear?

**Thanks for the requests. I see the ones in the comments and thank you very much for the reviews! Some of the requests might be a little difficult to fill out but I'll do my best! Any ideas are always going to be appreciated!**

"Alfred! Matthew!" Arthur called as he stood at the fence. "It's time to go now!" On the other side of this fence, was the small playground that belonged to the boy's Kindergarten. Several other children ran about the playground, playing with one another as their teacher, Mrs Hedervary, watched over them. Alfred and Matthew sat in the sandbox together, building sand castles with their friend Feliciano. Upon hearing their father's call, the boy's looked up. Both boys had in their scarfs and sweaters, as it was currently late fall, now nearing the winter time. The two of them stood and waved goodbye to Feliciano before hurrying to their father.

"Hi Daddy!" Alfred crowed as he ran into his father's arms, Matthew following suit.

"Hello pompkins. Did you two have a nice day today?" He asked as he kissed both of their foreheads.

"Uh-huh! I got a star on my paper today! Mrs Hedervary said it was really really good!" Alfred cheered as he held the paper in question up for his dad to see, absolutely beaming. Arthur took the paper and had a look. Simple arithmetic it would seem. Some of the numbers were backwards and there was a hole on his paper from where he had scrubbed the eraser too hard. But the answers were indeed correct.

"Good work Alfred. I'm sure papa will be very happy to see this as well." Arthur praised as he ruffled Alfred's hair. "And what about you Matthew? How was your day?"

"It was good today. I got a star too." Matthew said with a small smile. He wasn't so vocal about his accomplishments, unlike his brother. But he still made those accomplishments known when he was asked. Arthur smiled and pat Matthew on the head.

"Very good! I'm very proud of my two smart boys." Arthur said happily. He took their hands and led them from the school. "Let's hurry back now. It looks like it might rain soon." Arthur observed as he glanced up at the sky. Dark clouds were beginning to form, and he didn't want his boys to get wet. The house wasn't too far away from the boys school so they often walked home. Alfred joyfully kicked up the dried leaves on the sidewalk and crunched them under his feet as Matthew walked along silently, watching as his brother frolicked. It didn't take too long for the trio to arrive back at the house. When Arthur opened the door, Alfred hurried inside, dropping his bag on the ground as he ran to his bedroom.

"Alfred! You come here and pick this up!" He called after his rambunctious son. He shook his head as he picked up the bag himself when Alfred didn't come. He turned to Matthew now and raised his eyebrow. "I say, how long has your bag been open like that?" He asked. Matthews backpack was hanging open, and apparently, empty. Matthew craned his neck to look at the bag as Arthur got down and removed it from his shoulders. "Oh dear. You must have dropped your folder on your way home. It isn't in here." He sighed. "Honestly, you must be more-"

"Kumajiro!"

"I beg your pardon?" Matthew had grabbed the bag from his father and was now peering into it, his eyes wide and panicked.

"Kumajiro isn't in here! I think I dropped him somewhere!" Matthew said. "We have to go and look for him!" He insisted. Arthur chewed on his lip. If he really was lying on the sidewalk somewhere, then he would get wet when it began to rain. But it was going to start up any second now, and Arthur wasn't really the biggest fan of storms. "Daddy please! We need to hurry!" Matthew cried as he grabbed a hold of Arthur's arm and started tugging him towards the door.

"Oh..alright darling. But we can only go once around the block for now." Arthur told him. "It's going to rain soon, and we don't want to get wet do we?" He jotted down a quick note for Francis before taking Matthew's hand and heading out the door with him. He was a bit nervous. If they didn't find his bear, the poor child would be inconsolable. Matthew was so attached to his bear, and always insisted on having it with him, even when he went off to school. It was a bit of a security blanket for him, and he became terribly anxious without it. So they had to find it quickly.

They left the house, Matthew frantically leading the way. They traveled down the path from once they came towards the school. The whole way there, Matthew would stop and search between the houses, hoping to see the precious bear. But no luck. But the time they had arrived at the small kindergarten the boys attended, they hadn't had any luck. They looked past the gate and into the playground, but there was no sign of him. "Oh, perhaps you left him in the classroom." Arthur suggested.

"No! I brought him outside with me, and we were making sandcastles together!" Matthew insisted. "He might be on the playground! So we have to go inside."

"We can't do that. The gate is locked darling. That means we can't go in there. Perhaps we missed him on the way here. Let's go back to the house and look for him again on the way there."

"B-But I didn't see him there!" Matthew said quickly. He was trying his hardest not to yell at his dad, but his voice was quickly rising in both volume, and pitch. "He must have run away! He likes to go to the bookstore. Can we go check there?" He asked.

"Kumajiro wouldn't run away Matthew. He's probably just hiding somewhere and is waiting for you to find him." Arthur said. He glanced up at the sky. The clouds had completely blocked out the sun, and the wind had picked up. There was no way Matthew wasn't chilly at this point. "Let's go back home and`"

"No no!" Matthew cried, stomping his foot as tears welled up in his eyes. It wasn't like him to start up like this. He really needed his bear back. "He's lost! He's all alone somewhere and we have to find him! It's gonna rain and he's gonna get wet and..and.." And the small child burst into tears, not able to bare the thought of his poor friend being so lonely. He knew how awful it felt to be all alone, and he didn't want his best friend to have to go through something so scary.

"Oh you poor thing." Arthur said sadly as he knelt down and lifted Matthew into his arms. Matthew clung to his father and buried his face in his shoulder as he sobbed. Arthur debated going to look some more, but once the first raindrop hit his head, he knew that it wasn't an option. "Come on. We need to get going. I promise, we can look for him some more in the morning."

"It'll be too late then.." Matthew sobbed. Arthur turned around and began to walk back to the house, the crying child cradled in his arms.

"It won't be. If he gets dirty, then we just need to put him in the wash is all."

"B-but Kumajiro doesn't l-like being washed."

"Well neither does Alfred, but he does anyhow doesn't he?" Matthew didn't answer and just cried even harder. He was feeling just as miserable as his bear must have been feeling. Arthur softly shushed the boy as he walked. Eventually, the two of them came to the house, and Arthur let himself in.  
Francis was in the sitting room, waiting for the two of them as Alfred played with his toy cars at his feet. As soon as they came in and the crying reached Francis's ears, he was on his feet in an instant and hurried to them. He had been just as anxious as Arthur, hoping they would find the bear. But by the looks of it, there was no such luck. "Oh my poor boy." Francis cooed as he came closer to see his darling son. Alfred just sat there watching, his face a mixture of confused and concerned. "Don't you worry _petite._ We will find your bear." He promised.

"He's gonna get all wet out there. He's all alone and s-scared." Matthew quivered. "I want Kumajiro!" He howled.

The two parents both exchanged a saddened look. What were they going to do?

It took a little time, but they managed to calm the child into a stony silence. Matthew didn't want to play with his brother, watch a film with his fathers, or even have his supper that evening. He was truly run through the mill by the time the end of the day came around, but he didn't want to sleep either. When Arthur but Alfred down to sleep, Matthew refused to go as well. He couldn't sleep until he knew his bear was safe in his arms once again. No matter how much they tried to have him rest, he refused. Eventually, the two brought him to their bed, which seemed to help him settle down. But his slumber was restless. He shifted, kicked, and woke up twice during the night.

Once morning came, the two parents were exhausted. They allowed Matthew to continue sleeping as they sat at the table to have coffee.

"What are we going to do?" Arthur sighed. "We can't just leave him like this, he's going to make himself sick."

"I wish I knew _Mon amour."_ Francis said with a yawn. "I would say we could buy him a new one but..that bear is very special to him. It wouldn't feel right if we just replaced it."

"So that means we need to go out and look for it again right? But when we went yesterday, I didn't see it anywhere. Anyhow, another child or a dog must have picked it up at this point." Arthur said with a grimace.

"Well why don't we put up fliers? We can see if anyone has seen the bear, and if we don't get any response by Monday then we will just have to..well I'm too sure what we would do after that."

"Right, if he even lasts that long. You saw for yourself just how broken up he was. He'll make himself ill if we continue to let this happen."

"That's true. Well then why don't we-" The two of them were suddenly interrupted by a knocking at the door. Arthur let out a heavy sigh before getting to his feet and answering the door.

"May I help you?" He asked. At the door, stood a man he had not interacted with too many times in the past. His name was Roderich Edelstien, and he was the single parent of one of the boys classmates.

"Yes. I believe Feliciano has something that belongs to one of your boys." He said. He stepped to the side to reveal the young child, who had been hidden behind his legs. And in his arms, to their great relief, was the missing bear. Feliciano stepped forward and offered up the bear.

"Matthew left him in the sandbox." He said. "I took him home and cleaned him up a little. And I want to give him back."

"Well that was very kind of you, thank you very much. I'm sure Matthew will be very happy to see him." Arthur said as he accepted the bear. Francis stepped forward and ruffled his hair, happy that his son would smile again. He couldn't imagine his little boy being sad all weekend. And after that, the two of them left.

The fathers went back to their room, where Matthew lie sleeping. Arthur came over and carefully nestled the bear under the covers next to Matthew. Matthew mumbled a bit in his sleep and rolled over. When his fingers came in contact with the bear, he pulled it close and buried his face into his fur before falling asleep again. He was content once again, and was going to be okay. It lifted a weight in their hearts, and they were more then happy to see their little boy so content again.


	6. Where babies come from

**I promise I haven't been ignoring suggestions. I want to write the one with the twins sick day, and the one with Matthew getting into trouble. Also, I like the one with the twins getting mistaken for one another. That sounds cute too~ For some reason, I've had a terrible lapse in motivation and inspiration for writing, so I'm just writing whatever comes to mind. Scraping the bottom of my brain in a sense. If you do have a suggestion, keep sending them for sure. Something may just peek my interest and get the gears running. This chapter focuses a bit more on Francis and Arthur then it does the boys for now. (Something else I was thinking about. Should Seychelles be born into this family at some point? It might be interesting to see the brother with a baby sister. But it's up to you guys.)**

"Where do babies come from?" As soon as the dreaded question left Alfred's lips, Arthur thought he might faint. He slowly looked down at the small child who was gripping his pant leg. Alfred's eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Oh um...the stork darling." Arthur coughed out, gripping the kitchen counter tightly.

"No!" Alfred protested. "I told this boy at school and he said that was wrong. They come from seeds." He said. "Seeds that a daddy gives a mommy. But what does that mean? I wasn't from the ground right?"

"No, of course you didn't come from the ground." Arthur said, his face becoming a little red. "Erm...let's wait for your papa to come home. We can tell you two together alright?"

"Okay!" Alfred said, satisfied with the answer, before running off to play. Arthur slowly sank down into a near-by chair. He had always been dreading this day. He just didn't think it would come so soon...

When Francis came home, the two of them took some time in the bedroom to talk about what to say and what to do. Francis seemed to think that five was too young of an age to talk about that sort of a thing, and the boys didn't need to know until later. But Arthur wanted to teach them now before someone else did. They were at arms for a bit for what to do. but eventually, they came to a conclusion. They would talk about it. but try and leave out as many of the dirty 'details' as possible. To be frank, they weren't so sure how that would go down. But they would simply have to do their best.

That evening, after dinnertime, Francis and Arthur sat on the couch, and had the boys join them. Alfred and Matthew sat in between their father's, curious about what they had to say. They had been very good, and had not broken the rules. So they were not going to be getting a talking to right? "Alfred," Arthur began. "Me and you papa have been thinking a lot about what you asked us. The question regarding where babies came from. Well, we decided that it was about time you both knew where you came from."

"Didn't we come from papa's tummy?" Matthew asked curiously, eyeing Francis's flat stomach.

"That's right! Clever boy," Arthur chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"From there? But how did we ever get in there?" Alfred asked.

"Yea. I thought only mommy's carried babies," Matthew chimed in. So it would seem the boys had different levels of understanding. Alfred didn't know where they came from at all. But Matthew knew they were carried in a mommy's tummy. But as expected, neither boy knew how they got in there in the first place.

"Well Matthew, you're mostly right," Francis said, taking over for a bit. "That's the first thing we should talk about I see." Now, how to begin? "You see boys, boys and girls each are born with different parts. Parts that make them either male, or female. And usually, they are born with inly one set of parts. But your daddy and I are different. That is because we are nations." The boys nodded. They knew what a nation was. They had been told a long time ago. Both of their father's ruled over a large part of the world and had to keep it safe. And that one day, they would too.

Francis continued his explanation. "As you boys already know, lots of things are very different, because we are nations. We travel differently, our work is different, and, as you may not have known, our bodies are different too. Me and your father are both able to carry children." He decided not to tell the boys that they could also carry children as well someday. Not until they were older. "So, the two of us decided that we wanted to have a baby, and so, you two came along," he chuckled.

"But papa, how did we get in there?" Alfred asked again. "My friend told me that daddy gave you a seed right? So what does that mean?"

"That's...a little harder to explain," Arthur responded next, sucking in his cheeks a bit. "You see, a seed is something that you give the one love most." He could see Alfred glancing at Matthew, and quickly cut in. When you boys grow up, and when you are adults, you may find someone who you might call, 'The one.' It is a very special person that you hold dear in your heart. You might marry them, and you just might give them a seed as well. A special seed that will make a baby grow inside of their tummy."

"Daddy, how does a seed make a baby? Does it hatch like an egg?" Matthew asked.

"Mmm, something like that."

"But then, how do you make it hatch? Did papa swallow it? Is that how it got into his tummy?" Arthur chewed his lip for a moment.

"Yes, it was put inside of him," he managed to say, rubbing the back of his neck as he blushed. It didn't help that Francis had begun to chuckle. He decided it would best not to say HOW it had been put inside of him. "And then how did it hatch? Well um..."

"We made a wish," Francis suddenly cut in. Arthur looked at him, a bit confused. "Every single night, me and your daddy made a wish on the stars. We wanted a baby more then anything in the world. So, before and after he gave me that special seed, we would wish. Maybe it was because of that wishing that we were blessed with two boys instead of one." Suddenly, it dawned on Arthur. Francis was telling the truth. He remembered quite vividly what he meant. Before the twins were born, the two of them prayed every night. He smiled softly at those memories. In fact, the conversation of having children in the first place started with a wish. About a year after the two of them were married. Arthur faced his sons, and began to tell them the story.

 _Arthur quietly peered over his book at his husband, raising an eyebrow. Francis had his own book resting in his lap and was leaning on the headboard, staring out the window. For the past few nights, he had noticed this. Before he would turn out his light and go to bed, or cuddle up against Arthur, he would get this look. Just gaze out the window, not saying a word. Arthur didn't bother him when he did this, but it had him curious. What was he looking at? Or, what was he looking for? After a bit, he finally switched off his lamp, scooted closer to Arthur, and cuddled up against it._

 _"Hey you. I wasn't done reading," Arthur told him as Francis nuzzled into his shoulder. "I'm not quite ready for bed yet."_

 _"Oh well," Francis chuckled, kissing his neck and cheek. So selfish he could be sometimes. Arthur rolled his eyes and set his novel down on the side table. "Arthur, I want a kiss too," he requested. But Arthur ignored him. "Please? Don't deny your husband his good-night kiss~" He said, giving him another kiss on his cheek. His stubble gently scratched at him, making him spine tingle. Arthur reached out and turned out his lamp before lying down, facing away from him. "Arthur? Don't be mad at me mon amor!" He wasn't mad. Not really. He just liked teasing him was all~ Besides, he had to learn that gimmie-gimmie never gets._

 _"You are so mean," Francis sighed, letting him go and lying on his own side of the bed, facing the window again. Arthur smirked softly as he listened to his husband pretend to sniffle and sob. Silly man. He rolled his eyes once again before turning around, coming closer, and kissing Francis's cheek. Then, he turned, and scooted back to his own side of the bed. Soon enough, he could feel Francis's arms wrap around his waist from behind as he planted kisses down his neck. The warmth of his body pressed against his own made him smile._

 _"Francis," he said, getting a hum in return. "What were you looking at earlier? You were looking out the window again. You've been doing that every night for the past few nights. Why is that?"_

 _"Just looking at the stars," Francis answered. "Did you know, that if you make a wish on the first star you see, it will come true?"_

 _"Rubbish," Arthur said back, making Francis pout. "Well you must have been making a lot of wishes lately hm? What is it that you want so badly?" He asked. Francis didn't answer him, which made him even more curious. "It better not be something dirty," Arthur teased. But he was a little surprised when he didn't laugh._

 _"No no. Nothing like that. Or, not this time anyways," he joked now, but it didn't sound so genuine. It sounded more like his was thinking. His face was hidden into Arthur's back, so Arthur didn't try to look back at him. He instead faced the bathroom door, which was closer to his side of the bed._

 _"Well then, what is it? Perhaps I might be able to give it to you. You don't get the things you want simply through wishing you know. You have to work for it." Francis peeked up from his back now, staring at the back of Arthur's head. But he soon met his emerald eyes when he turned to look at him. Francis was smiling a bit. But it wasn't his normal and friendly smile. This was his nervous smile. He could tell, because his thin eyebrows were arched a bit, and his voice was just a bit soft. He knew his husband rather well._

 _"You will be mad," Francis said, which defiantly surprised him._

 _"Mad? Why would I be mad? Francis, please won't you tell me? I won't be cross, I promise I won't," he said, turning around all the way now. He lie on his side, facing Francis, who was still smiling. "Please tell me. You shouldn't be hiding secrets from your husband like this." Francis stared at him for a bit. What could it be that he wanted so badly, that he was wishing for it every single night? What was he holding secret in his heart and longing for so dearly? Francis watched him for a bit, before taking in a breath, and slowly letting it out._

 _"Well...a baby."_

 _Arthur's eyebrows seemed to rise higher and higher as the words he heard. "A baby?" he repeated. "You mean like...having a child? Us?"_

 _"I do," Francis answered, looking a little more confident. Now that he knew that Arthur was not cross, he could explain himself. "Arthur, we have loved each other for ten years. And this past year has been a journey all on it's own. I want to keep going. But I want to include another in this experience. We have been through so much, and overcome so much. I think we are ready for this next step. Don't you?" He asked._

 _"Francis, I don't know. I mean, a baby? You understand that it's not like caring for a puppy or a kitten right? This is a human being. Having a baby would be absolutely wonderful, don't get me wrong. But are we ready for something like that? As nations, can we really be giving our undivided attention to a baby? It makes me worried, because I don't want to deprive my son or daughter of a proper childhood with both parents present."_

 _"I know it seems difficult Arthur, but I think we can do this," Francis assured him. "I want to do this. I know you will be a great father."_

 _"It's not about whether or not I will be a good father. It's about this child's happiness. I don't want to have him or her suffer in the ways that we did." That made Francis quiet. "You know how difficult we had it as children. And you know how hard we have it now. I don't want to bring a child into the world, just to have to experience the same thing." Francis didn't answer. He knew exactly what he was talking about. The two of them had been through a lot in their long lives, and had been left with after affects that they would never wish upon their own child. Arthur, having seen many many wars, and more death then he knew what to do with, had been left with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Paranoia, and Brontophobia. Francis could vividly recall those times when he would have to hold Arthur, or at least get him to a safe place when he was in the midst of a panic attack. On the other end, Francis himself had also experienced many sad and terrible things during his time as a nation. He didn't want anyone else to suffer in the way he did, and tried to make everyone happy. In doing so, he came to realize just how broken and sad the world was, leaving him with Clinic Depression, as well as Pyrophobia, due to the death of the Joan of Arc, as well as the French Revolution. Arthur would never forget the days when he would sit by Francis's side in the bed, trying to make sure he ate and bathed at the very least._

 _"I know it will be hard Arthur," Francis said slowly. "We will never be able to protect our child from everything. But I don't think that should just be the end of it. I don't think we should just end things on such a note. We may not be able to hold their hand through everything. But we can still be there for them. He or she will not be alone in all this. They will have us won't they?" He reached out and grasped tightly to Arthur's hands. "Arthur," he said. "I don't want to give up hope before we even start. I want this baby. More then anything I do. I want to have someone to join us in these next steps of our lives. As you said, you have to work for what you want. I am willing to work for this, if you are too." He held his gaze, staring right into Arthur's eyes. "Please Arthur. Don't give up on our family before it has even started."_

 _Arthur stared into his eyes. He could see that longing and knew that he was right. He couldn't give up like this. Not like this. Arthur sighed softly. And he smiled. "I understand."_

"If it hadn't been for your papa's words, you two might not have been born," Arthur said, scratching his cheek lightly. "After that night, we made wishes every single night. We hoped and we prayed. And we worked as well, to make sure your papa's body would be ready to carry our child." The two of them had made the decision for Francis to carry the child after talking for quite awhile about it. Arthur's body was not as strong as Francis's, and likely wouldn't be able to support the development of a child. So they worked together in order to give him the baby.

"Oh wow," Alfred said softly. "So, what did it feel like when we were inside? Weren't we all squishy inside there?"

Francis laughed. "Yes, you were. Since there were two babies, you two got rather squished. So you kicked a lot. And I got quite big very quickly. But thankfully, you two were very very healthy when you were born. And I couldn't have asked for anything else."

"It was like a big watermelon in your tummy! Didn't that feel weird?" Alfred asked.

"Oh yes, very strange," Francis nodded. "It sort of felt like my body did not belong to me anymore. When you were hungry then so was I. When you were awake, you woke me up. When you slept and were still, then I would sleep too. And when you didn't like something, then I didn't like it either."

"How did we come out?" Matthew asked. "Did you get a surgery?" Francis and Arthur exchanged a look.

"Well no," Arthur coughed. "When you two were ready to be born, you gave Francis special signals. Ones that told his body that you were all ready to come out. When Francis felt those signals, then you two came out, one at a time."

"But how?" Matthew repeated. Ah, quite the curious one he was.

"You came out of a...special place," Arthur tried, his face red. How could he explain this to a five year old without using too much detail? "From between papa's legs," he said. He hoped this satisfied them. Thankfully, it seemed to do just that. "So you two, anymore questions for us?" Arthur asked.

"Nu-uh!" Alfred said, hopping off of the couch. "I think I get it now!"

"Me too," Matthew said as he climbed off as well. "I didn't know that much had happened." He didn't move for a moment. It looked like he still had something else he wanted to say. But he didn't know how to say it. The fathers waited patiently, watching their little son. Finally, Mathew climbed up onto the couch, and gave each man a kiss on the cheek. "Um, thank you daddy for giving papa a seed! And thank you papa for making me in your tummy! I love you," he said, his tiny, pale cheeks going all red. Then, he climbed off the couch and ran to catch up to his brother, leaving Francis and Arthur to sit their, rather surprised. Arthur was the one to break the silence after a bit.

"Such a good boy."


	7. Liar liar

**So in the last chapter, I asked whether or not Seychelles should be born into the story. I posted a poll on my profile asking the question. At the moment, it's two votes for yes, and one for no. So I'm still not sure. I think if she does come into the story, she would be born the month before the boys ninth birthday. For now, I'll keep the chapters timeline before then, until I come to decision of what to do.**

The little third grade class was buzzing as the students waited for the teacher. Amongst those students, sat 8 year old Alfred and Matthew. It was a rather warm September morning, and Matthew was having a bit of trouble keeping his eyes seemed to be full of energy anyhow, per usual, sitting up on top of his desk and chatting with his friends. Matthew sighed as he leaned on his hand and watched his brother go on and on about nothing in particular. How was it that he was so awake this morning? Especially considering how long they were up last night. Alfred had been given a game system from one of his friends to borrow for the rest of the day, so long as he brought it back the next morning. Matthew was glad he stuck to his word, and he was glad Alfred had so much fun with it. But perhaps he had a little too much fun. The twins were up nearly all night, swapping the system back and forth to play. whenever they heard one or both of their fathers coming to check on them the game was stashed under Alfred's pillow and they both wrapped up tight in the blanket, trying to make it look like they had shared a bed the other night. Thankfully, their fathers hadn't suspected a thing. But Matthew was defiantly feeling the consequences that came from being up all night long. He was rather tired, and just hoped he could stay up for class. Watching Alfred, he could only imagine that Alfred wouldn't have any trouble keeping awake. Where was he getting all of his energy from anyways? He'd probably never figure that out.

Eventually, the teacher came in, and called for the class to settle down. The class said the pledge, and afterwards, Mr. Karpusi began to speak about class activities for the day. Matthew was only half-listening, focusing more on rolling his pencil around his desk. He was usually a rather good student, honestly he was! But, he just couldn't seem to focus today. The morning seemed to be a bit of a blur, with his head occasionally tilting to the side. It didn't help that Mr. Karpusi's deep voice was so slow and tired-sounding. It was pretty common to see the teacher snoozing away at his desk while the students were at recess or having lunch. Before long, Matthew found that everything was simply going right over his head.

Matthew was just about to completely fall asleep, when something was passed his way. He took the papers, placed one on his desk, and then passed it back. Then, he had a look at the paper. Oh! When were they told there was a quiz today? He didn't remember that. Looking over the paper, he sighed in relief. Three-digit addition and subtraction. That wasn't too bad. He could do that. He gave his cheeks a few soft slaps to wake up a bit more before getting to work. they had been going over this all week hadn't they? He rubbed his eyes under his glasses, and focused on the paper.

Ah. As he scratched the answers onto the paper, he found his focus going all over the place. He couldn't concentrate very well. Matthew sighed and set his pencil down. He stared at his paper for a moment later, before looking at Alfred, who sat on the desk next to him. Alfred had his fingers tangled in his hair, looking confused. Heh. It would seem Matthew wasn't the only one having a bit of trouble. He watched him for a little bit, before glancing at the front. His teacher was fast asleep, his head tilted back. He was going to fall from his chair at this rate...

Matthew shook his head and went back his own quiz. The sooner he finished up, the better. He did his take-away's and add-ons as best he could. The numbers were starting to mold together, making him a bit confused. But he tried not to be too nervous. He was good at math. He could do this.

Once he was all finished, he flipped the paper over so the answers faced his desk, and then, he put his head down for the time-being. He worked hard. Now, for a little rest.

Matthew managed to get in about a half an hour of rest, which he was rather grateful for. He was roused awake once the bell rang, indicating it was time for lunch and recess break. He passed his test to the front, and soon after, Alfred grabbed his hand, and hurried to get in the lunch-line with him. The class was lead out of the classroom, and to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Uuugh." Matthew paused in peeling the peel from his orange to look up at his brother.

"Something wrong?" Matthew asked him.

"That stupid quiz," Alfred sighed. "I don't know if I did so well to be honest," he confessed. "All those numbers, I get all mixed up!"

"I can understand that. It's not so easy is it?" Matthew asked. "I had a little trouble myself."

"You? No way!" Alfred chuckled. "You're like, the smartest guy I know! I'll bet you aced that test!" When Matthew looked unsure, Alfred quickly said, "I mean, you probably got like, a B at the very least." Matthew just gave him a rather wary smile in return.

"Yea. I sure hope so..."

After lunch, the classes were let out for recess. It was rather chilly outside, but it didn't deter the children from having fun. As Matthew played with his twin, he seemed to be able to push the quiz from his mind. Running about and getting his heart pumping also managed to wake him up a bit more. He had a good deal of fun with his brother, and when he entered the building once again, he felt a lot better. His cheeks and nose were a powdery pink color, and he had quite the smile on his face. Alfred was bragging about a little plastic car he found under the round-about. While he did, Matthew tried to convince him to put it back, or at least wash it first. It could be covered with germs after all.

"Alright everyone," the teacher announced, standing before his classroom. "I'm going to be passing back your quiz now, alright? I've graded them, and will be passing them back. All those who have below a B, will be getting extra tutoring tomorrow during recess." The classroom groaned in return, to which he simply shook his head. "Now I don't like it anymore then you. But if you've gotten a poor score, this indicates you will be needing extra help." He began to walk down the aisles now, setting the tests down face-first on each students desks. Alfred was rather hesitant to look at his paper. Matthew chuckled a bit, and reached over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, let's look together okay?" Matthew said. Alfred sucked in a breath and nodded. And together, they both flipped their paper over.

Staring at their scored, they were both very quiet. They were in a bit of a state of disbelief.

"M-Matthew!" Alfred gasped, shoving his paper at his brother. "Look! I got an A minus!" he cried, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Are you seeing this!?" Matthew glanced up, and gave his brother a weak smile. "What did you get?" Matthew didn't answer for a moment. All he could do, was stare at the red marks that littered his paper. He looked up at Alfred, and took a breath.

"I um...I got an A too..."

* * *

The bus trip back home was a rather tense one. Matthew was very quiet, staring at his feet, as Alfred spoke eagerly to one of the older children who sat in the seat in front of him. The backpack on his back felt like it weighted a ton. He hardly wanted to think about the paper in his bag, that he kept hidden in his folder. What would papa and daddy say if they saw this? He always got rather good marks in school. And Alfred actually was fairly good in several subjects as well. But when was the last time they had brought home a failing grade? Matthew sighed, swinging his feet. Well then, he made the decision now, as their house came into sight. Neither parent was going to find out about this. Not if he could help it! In all honesty, he didn't feel too good about keeping a secret from his parents. But he couldn't tell them about this. They would grow rather cross. He had seen daddy spank before. He didn't want that, not in the slightest. He gripped tightly to the straps of his backpack, trying not to let the discomfort show on his face. This was not a good situation to be in, he knew that much at least. He stared out the window, watching the house come closer and closer. The bus stop was on the corner, just past their home. He could see daddy out in front, raking the leaves from the lawn.

Matthew bit his lip, watching the house pass by. Would this really be okay he wondered? He hoped so...

As the bus came to a stop, he tried to push the thought from his mind. He just wouldn't think about it. That's all he could really do right now anyways. He followed Alfred off the bus, and waited patiently as he waved goodbye to the friends that still lingered on the bus. Then, they joined hands, and began to walk back to the house together. Matthew kept his eyes on his feet the entire time.

"Boys! Welcome back!" Arthur called, as he leaned against the rake.

"Hi dad!" Alfred called as he hurried foreword, pulling Matthew along with him. The entered the front gate, and each boy was given a pat on the head.

"How was your day?"

"It was great dad! Guess what I got today!" Matthew made a face as Alfred set hi bag in the dirt, despite Arthur's protests. He looked around in his backpack for a moment, before thrusting the paper at Arthur. "Lookit! Look at this!" He cried. Arthur took the paper, and had a look at it. He smiled spread on his face.

"Well would you look at that? Good work Alfred!" He praised, patting his head. "I can see you've been keeping up with your studies." Alfred grinned happily, rubbing the back of his neck. Arthur looked it over a bit more before looking down at Matthew. "What about you dearest? Did you get your quiz back as well?" Matthew hesitated. He gripped the bag a bit tighter.

"I did," he said. "But I left it at school by accident," he lied.

"Oh dear, that's quite a shame," Arthur frowned. "What was your score on it?" he asked.

"I got an A as well..."

"Well good for you! Both of my boys are quite clever. I'm proud of you two." Arthur went and placed the rake to the side before coming back to his boys. "C'mon. It's rather cold outside isn't it? Let's go in. I'm sure papa will be just as pleased as I am to hear about what you two did." Alfred trotted ahead, but Matthew quietly lagged behind. He didn't know if his heart could take this..

As expected, Francis was just as happy to discover what his boys had done. He gave them both a big hug, praising them both. As soon as he had let them go, Matthew excused himself to his room. He couldn't bare to keep lying like this. It just made him feel even guiltier. Francis asked him to try and remember to bring his paper home the next day so he could see it. He wanted to place it up on the fridge, right next to Alfred's paper. All Matthew could do, was smile softly in return. What was he supposed to do now? He told his fathers he had an A too! So when they saw his paper, and found out that he lied...what was going to happen now?

* * *

"Arthur?" Francis said to his husband as he cleared the supper plates from the table. Arthur nodded in response, watching as he cleared the table. "Perhaps it was just me. But did you notice something a bit odd about Matthew?" Francis asked him.

Arthur hummed a bit in return. "Somewhat. He seemed nervous," Arthur said. "He didn't eat too much during dinner. I wonder if something is troubling him."

"I don't know," Francis sighed, sticking the plates in the sink for the moment. "I do hope that he's alright. You don't think someone is giving him trouble at school do you?"

"I'm not sure," Arthur said with a shake of his head. "Surely he would tell us if something like that was happening, wouldn't he?"

"I'm not so sure. He's always kept things like that to himself. Remember what happened last year? He didn't tell us about his little bully until he ended up coming home crying," he reminded Francis. "I wouldn't put it past him to hold such a secret." As he spoke, he stood up and entered the sitting room, where the boys had left their bags. The boy had forgot to give him their planners. The teacher had parents sign their planners every evening to make sure that they were aware of what was due for homework, as well as see any additional notes lefts by the teachers.

"That's true. Poor thing," Francis said, switching on the sink and scrubbing at the dirty dishes. "I wish he would talk to us more about the things that trouble him. What could be bothering him?"

"...I have a bit of an inkling as to what," Arthur sighed. Francis turned to look over his shoulder, and saw Arthur scanning a paper in his hands.

"Ah? What is that?" Francis asked. Arthur motioned for him to come closer, so Francis switched off the sink, and dried his hands on a dish towel. Francis approached his husband, arms folded. "What do you have there?"

"Matthew's test. The one he allegedly got an A on," Arthur answered. He held it out for Francis to see himself. Rather then an A, there was a large D on the front. Francis scanned the paper, grimacing a bit. Matthew had made some rather simple mistakes. Rounding wrong, not carrying his numbers, things of that nature. He had been rather careless with his math, resulting in the poor grade. Didn't Matthew say he got an A on it?

"So, he lied to us?" Francis sighed, while Arthur went into Alfred's backpack as well.

"It would seem so. What do you suppose we should do about it?" Francis scratched his chin a bit, debating whether or not they ought to directly confront him or not.

"I might have an idea," he said then, approaching the fridge with the test. Arthur watched, confusion glinting in his eyes, and Francis hung the paper on the fridge. " _Mon Chere,_ are you good at pretending? Because I think we're going to be playing a little game of make-believe tomorrow.

* * *

Matthew rubbed his tired eyes as he entered the kitchen. He felt like he hadn't slept a wink. His tummy continued to hurt him all night, making it terribly hard to relax. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about what he said to his daddies about the little test. He hated lying if he could help it. And he wanted to tell them what the real results were. But if he did, they would be so made at him...

"Good morning boys!" Arthur greeted when he saw his boys enter the kitchen. "I trust you slept rather well."

"Uh-huh!" Alfred nodded eagerly, gripping his daddy's hands. Arthur reached out and gave him a pat on the head, smiling warmly. Francis meanwhile stood at the stove, preparing breakfast for the four of them, humming softly.

"Listen boys, I was wondering. Have you seen my reading glasses anywhere?" He asked. "I'm afraid my vision as of late had grown a tad poorly. I think I may need to have my glasses a bit more often nowadays." Alfred and Matthew glanced at one another, before shaking their head. "I see. A shame that is. I wish I wouldn't continue leaving them about." He stood from the table, and approached the fridge as the boys watched. "I can't seem to make out some letters properly. I can't seem to see your grades properly." Matthew and Alfred looked towards the fridge, and Matthew felt the color drain from his face.

"Matthew, I thought you got an A. That's a D!" Alfred protested.

"I...um..." Matthew said softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I-I'm sorry."

"Yes, it does look like a D, doesn't it?" Arthur mused as he pulled Matthew's test off of the fridge. Arthur held it up, as though showing it up to the light, as though it would be easier to see. "But, Matthew told me it was an A, didn't he? My vision must just be a bit screwy. So it looks like a D to me." Matthew chewed on his lip hard, debating what he was supposed to do now. What was he supposed to say?

"D-Daddy, I-"

"Perhaps I am in the same boat as you," Francis suddenly chimed in, approaching his husband. "I know it is an A, but I continue to see a D as well, no matter ho many times I look at it." He sighed and shrugged. "I am getting quite old I am afraid. My vision has become poor."

Matthew wrung his hands tightly, swallowing hard. He knew his fathers were a tad sensitive about their age, and he didn't want them feeling bad about such a thing. "It's not your vision," he said. "It's not an A. I'm sorry..."

"What do you mean? Of course it's an A," Francis told him, pointing out the clearly obvious D on the paper. "That's what you told us right?"

"I know that. I did say that didn't I?" Matthew said softly.

"And I know you would never lie to us, right? Because I know that you know better then that." His eyes became just a tad harder then before, but he kept his expression happy. Alfred seemed to sense what was happening, and wasn't sure what to do. He just looked between Matthew and their fathers, trying to figure something out. Matthew swallowed again, and felt tears welling up behind his glasses. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Arthur waited patiently to see if Matthew would anything before continuing. "Perhaps we should see the doctor sometime soon dearest," he suggested. "To see such a strange thing, it must be serious."

"Oh? How serious do you suppose it might be?" Francis asked.

"I can't be sure," Arthur responded. He avoiding looking at Matthew, but he kept him in the corner of his vision. "It might be quite serious though. I wonder if the doctor will have to operate," he hummed. He heard Matthew gasp in shock. The idea of an unnecessary surgery, caused by his fibbing, made him quite nervous.

"Dear dear. Shall I give the doctor a call?" Francis asked, folding his arms.

"May as well." Francis nodded, and turned, as though he were going to go and grab the telephone.

"No wait! Stop!" Matthew shouted out. "Don't call the eye doctor! Don't get a surgery!" The small child began crying, rubbing his fists with his eyes. "There's no A! It was never an A! That's a D!" He insisted. "Please don't call the doctor! I'm sorry!" The fathers didn't say anything for a second, watching his sniffle and wipe his eyes. They looked at each other, as though asking what the next step was going to be. They didn't want to comfort him right away, because there was a reason behind why they had done this. So they couldn't hold him right away or apologize. "I'm sorry for fibbing. I didn't mean to get a bad grade, it was an accident! I was just sle-sleepy! And I couldn't focus! I'm sorry!"

After a bit, Arthur knelt down, and gently took Matthew's wrists and pried them from his face. "There there, no more tears now poppet," he said softly, kissing his nose. "Now then, do you understand why you should not be lying now?"

"Y-Yes."

"That's my good boy. If you had come to me or your father, and explained to us what happened, we wouldn't have been upset. We just want you to try harder next time is all. A bad grade isn't the end of the world. While I do want you to do well with your studies, we all make mistakes sometimes. We aren't upset with you for your D. Do you understand?" Matthew sniffled and nodded. "But we are upset that you tried to lie to us about it. I thought we talked about this before. Lying will only bring about trouble, much more trouble then it's worth."

"I'm sorry daddy. I'm really sorry."

"I know you are dear. I can see you've learned your lesson, so you are not going to be punished. But I hope you realize that from now on, you are not to lie to me , or your papa again. Understand?"

"Yes daddy. I understand." Arthur removed Matthew's glasses, and wiped away Matthew's tears.

"That's my good boy. Now then, why don't you take your test to school with you so that you can ask your teacher what it is you need assistance with. Perhaps even bring your grade back up?"

"Yes daddy," Matthew agreed. Arthur handed his paper back to him and pat the top of his head. As he went to put it in his bag, Arthur went to sit down at the table again. "By the why, why was it that you were tired in class? Did you not get enough sleep last night?"

"Not really. Alfred had a fun new game and-" Matthew quickly stopped. Whoops. He wasn't really supposed to tell them.

"Oh?" Arthur asked, sitting back and folding his arms. "A game eh? I trust that you boys hadn't been up all night playing said game, correct?"

"Erm..."


End file.
